A Cold Wind Blows

Chapter 8

Memories Best Left Forgotten

“Okay Amethyst,” Glacier began as he walked dead centre the middle of his common-room, “you need to be on your best behaviour today. Got it?”

The charcoal grey stallion groaned audibly and rolled about on Glacier’s couch. The top half of the blankets around him all curled up about his snout and horn; the bottom of the blankets curled all around his hind legs. He was incredibly ensnared and could almost no longer move. But Amethyst liked it that way. That way he didn’t have to really listen to his brother, or, get off of the couch, for that matter.

He mumbled something incoherent to his brother, to whom scoffed at him slightly. “This is serious.” Glacier walked over to the couch next, took hold of the blanket in his teeth and tried to pry it away from his brother’s figure, but to no avail. The blanket did not want to budge. So, screwing his eyelids closed, Glacier tried harder, pulling the blanket back and away from his brother slightly. He grunted and groaned a little as he was finally able to start stepping back some, before he almost immediately started to get dragged forwards once more. Perplexed, Glacier opened his squinted eyes wide as he seen his brother, wrapping himself back up in the blanket using his magic.

“I’m not getting up yet, Glacier,” Amethyst protested, tucking himself back in more and entwining himself with the soft embrace of the golden-coloured fabric.

Glacier halted, dropped the blanket from his mouth, and groaned aloud once more before walking over to common-room window and drawing the curtains back. The angelic rays of light that made their way under the canopy outside, poured into the room and illuminated it with their brilliance. The room was thoroughly lit, and Glacier was sure that that would get his lazy as all Tartarus brother to move and get up finally. But Glacier would be wrong. He would be oh so wrong. Amethyst was still laying there, almost lifeless in the way his body just sort of sat there. The only way Glacier really knew his brother was truly alive was from the loud snoring that had just begun to emanate from the slumbering pile of fur.

“Amethyst!” Glacier practically screamed, walking back over to his brother, attempting to turn him around so that the light may shine into those mock sewn shut eyes of his. He jostled his brother next, trying to stir the very persistent and now, somewhat, aggravating stallion. “Get the heck up, you horned doofus.”

There was than an immediate action that caused Glacier to stumble back. It was Amethyst, whom had rolled around quickly and sat up on a dime, looking to Glacier’s confused and seated figured before him. Glacier rolled his hind hooves about the carpet, taking in the feeling of the large fibres against the frog of his hoof as he looked to his brother with a concerning look. However it fell rather quickly once Amethyst began to speak once more.

“Oh, goddesses me, Glacier Wind.” Amethyst threw his head back in a melodramatic fashion and sigh heavily, incredibly audibly; and then he fell back over the hoof-rest of the couch, screeching as he did so. “Oh woe is me!” he chanted, thrashing a hoof about in mock panic. “Whatever shall I do now that my brother has called me a ‘horned doofus’.” He looked over to Glacier, his just as messy mane hanging down in front of his left eye some. Brushing it out of the way, Amethyst went to speak again, but was interrupted by Glacier before he could continue his rather comical rant.

“Not funny.” Glacier walked over to his brother, grasped the blanket with his teeth, and tore it from his brother’s figure with as much effort as he could muster. He had put so much effort forward, however, that he had caused his brother to tumble into the air a little, spin about like an air-bound hoof-ball, and fall back onto the couch with a poof.

“Not cool,” Amethyst said, sitting up promptly and with a rather large pout. “I wasn’t ready to get up yet.”

“It’s mid-day,” Glacier complained once more, pointing over to the obviousness that was the now drawn back curtains. “Time for lazy, colt-friendless ponies to get their behinds up and out of bed.”

Lifting a hoof matter-of-factly, Amethyst deadpanned. “First of all, ouch… And, well, technically it’s a couch—“

“Same difference!”

“Well, you are the writer, I figured—“

“Amethyst!”

“Okay,” Amethyst said, holding his hooves out in front of himself in defence. “I’ll stop.”

“And,” Glacier said, tapping his fore-hoof against the ground in a rather annoyed manner.”

“I’ll get up, off of the couch.”

Excellent,” Glacier cheered, walking away from his brother with the golden hued blanket in tow. “Now get cleaned up a little. I don’t want you smelling like sweat and cum when Style gets here.”

“How—“

“First off, the blanket still has a wet spot on it.” Glacier held up the blanket on the other side of the couch for Amethyst to see. He opened his mouth to say something in response but kept it shut, as he had nothing he could really say in defence. “Second,” Glacier continued, lowering the blanket back down as he started to walk upstairs, “your shame is still showing itself a little.”

2…

With Amethyst all cleaned and presentable, Glacier sat him at the kitchen table as he spoke about ‘their’ plans for the night. “We are gonna need a couple things for dinner tonight, considering now that I got to feed an extra muzzle.” Amethyst pouted a little but Glacier quickly caught it. “Hey, I don’t mind that you are here.” Glacier extended his hoof and tapped it against the surface of the small, round table. “You’re my brother, and if you need to stay here for a little while—heck—a long while until you are back on your hooves, I will always be here for you.” Glacier stood and walked over to the threshold of the common-room, looking back to his brother with a slight smile upon his features. “Now come, we have some shopping to do together.

3…

Amethyst and Glacier arrived at the Ponyville marketplace in a rather timely manner. Both of the stallions trotted along the thoroughfare side-by-side, little smiles upon their muzzles as they chatted about all the times they had as young colts. Glacier talked about the one time Amethyst had put a super glue paste used to bind wood together in his mane and how their mother, Cotton Wisp, had to bring Glacier into the barbershop to have his mane sorted out.

“The look on old Clippers’ face was priceless though,” Glacier quipped as they continued to their vendor of choice; she was located near the backend of the market. “He looked as if he had never see a colt come in that needed his entire mane shaved off.”

“I could only imagine,” Amethyst laughed back heartily. “Mom was fuming mad with me.” Amethyst distinctively remembered his mother threatening to shave off his whole mane as well if he ever did it again. Of course he never did, not wanting to be ‘bald colt of the week’ at their school.

They shared a laugh with one another once more, before they started on the topic of another story from their foal-hoods. Amethyst brought up the time that either of them had first met Ice Stream, and how they all became the best of friends rather quickly thereafter. You see, Glacier and Amethyst’s parents let their colts be the adventurous little colts they wanted to be. They let them play just about anywhere and let them do just about anything they wanted. That included leaving the general area of the little court of houses they had been confined to for a majority of their younger years.

So, one time when the colts had been rather adventurous, they decided to venture out of the court (with the permission of their parents, of course) and see what they could of Ponyville themselves. During said travels, they came across a little, icy-coloured unicorn mare they had never seen at school or around town before.

4…

“Are we weally going ta do this, Amethwyst?” a small, prepubescent Glacier Wind asked.

“Yeah, little bro,” Amethyst retorted with a conviction in his voice. The slightly older colt turned back to look to his brother, a little smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “Or, you know, you could just stay here with mom and pop…” There was a little bit of a sting in his tone. One that was meant to push his little brother along more than cause any form of actual hurt or pain.

“I don’t weally want ta stay with mommy and daddy…” Glacier looked back and away from his brother then. He looked back towards their home, their parents both sitting inside, listening to the newest radio show on the family couch together, content that their little colts were going out to get some good and healthy adventuring in for the day.

“And why is that?” Amethyst asked, walking over to his brother and standing in front of him. He looked down to his younger sibling but only a little. The height and age difference between the two was almost non-existent; Glacier was eight and Amethyst was ten. Glacier just seemed even younger due to his ever so slight speech impediment. Not to mention he was a little bit of a suck-up for his parents too, which never helped the poor boy in the classroom none. Big brother Amethyst almost always had to come to the rescue, just as a big, strong, caring big brother should.

“Because I wanna be a big colt, like you, Amethwyst.”

Amethyst smiled, a crooked smile almost. Today was going to be a good day, a day of adventuring with one another and discovering some new, never before seen things. At least, never before seen to these colts. Pretty much every other stallion and mare knew pretty much all there was to know about Ponyville.

With that said, both of the colts made way out of their little survey and down towards where Sugarcube Corner was. Both colts knew this place in town well, and wanted to use it as their starting point for their expedition across town. They could go in one direction and work their way back, knowing where they are no matter what. Then, they could go in another direction, and continue the same process to return to the confectionery staple of Ponyville.

Looking around themselves, they took to deciding just which direction they wanted to head in for the first little outing of theirs. The first and most obvious choice would be to go directly north from Sugarcube Corner. But there were just so many possibilities; almost too many that both of the colts found the choices kind of daunting in nature. Especially Glacier, whom really was just following and wanting to be just like his older brother. Amethyst was his older and wiser guide in this world… Well, he tried to be anyway. That always didn’t work out. Just like that one time Glacier had taken his older brother’s advice to venture around the grocery store while their parents were finishing up some grocery shopping. Turns out a colt going missing slightly and then ending up almost being shipped halfway across Equestria in the back of a caravan isn’t really the appropriate definition of the word “exploration”. Though Amethyst has done well in changing his behaviour, becoming the model, little colt that both of his parents had wanted him to become. Or so they thought.

Still not the best at making decisions, Amethyst chose to go in a direction that didn’t end all too well for the colts. They got a little lost, in a part of town that they had never been with their family before.

Stumbling about, Glacier whimpered slightly to his older brother: “Amethwyst, where are wee?”

To which his brother replied, “I’m not exactly sure, Glacy.”

“Please doon’t call me thawt, Amethwyst,” Glacier countered, trembling slightly behind his brother’s figure. “Where are wee?”

Amethyst looked around them, trying to place just where they were right now. Perhaps they had been here before and the colt just didn’t realise it right away. But as he looked around to the slightly decrepit buildings of the Ponyville outskirts, he found that he couldn’t place this neighbourhood at all. There was nothing distinguishing to be seen, just the occasional tumbleweed tossing and turning across the nearly empty walkway they stood. The only other thing on the path were the few raggedy ponies that trotted and dragged their weary-looking hooves across the dirt. They kicked up a slight amount of dirt and it caused Glacier to sneeze; the greasy and oily-looking ponies throwing him and his brother some questioning and disturbing glances and glares. Some even growled and groaned at them, their presence clearly coming off as an annoyance to the small, shuffling crowd.

“I think that we should get out of here, Glacier,” Amethyst said, backing up into his brother some and causing him to fall back onto his rear. His brother’s rear followed and smacked into the ground heavily, and elicited a little bit of an ‘oof’ out of him. The dirt kicked up by his brother’s slightly larger than normal rear-end caused the colt to sneeze again. But this time, when the little colt had recovered from his rather intense sneeze, he noticed that his brother was rather frozen—almost stock-still in the way he sat there, unmoving, and the appearance of his breathing seemed to be a nonexistence.

“Hello there,” a rather light and delicate voice sounded out across the dreary scenery around them. “I’ve never seen either of you guys around here before. You colts new around here or somethin’?”

Glacier stood and looked around his brother’s frozen figure. There, standing a metre from them, was a little icy-blue coated filly. Her fur resembled much of the same colour as Glacier’s own, though it was a lighter shade of blue. She quirked her head to the side and her medium length mane of teal and mint green fell in front of her right eye some.

“Woah,” Glacier said, walking up next to his brother. “She doewsn’t look like shwe belongs herew at all.” Glacier looked to the pretty filly before him. She was a lot cleaner than the rest of this part of town seemed to be, and that was putting things lightly. This filly was a crown jewel in the grime that was this neighbourhood. And as Glacier continued to look at the little filly, he noticed something about her. There was something about the way she cocked her head to the side. Something about the way her mane fell so delicately in front of her eyes. She looked very cute, and Glacier was pretty sure that he was suffering from his first crush now.

“Geez, snap out of it little bro,” Amethyst chuckled as he clapped his fore-hooves in front of Glacier’s muzzle. “How old are you, little missy?”

“Um, why?” the young mare retorted.

“Random question.”

“I’m eight and a half,” she responded. “Just got the chance to finally go to school here, actually. My parents…couldn’t really afford to have me go…” The filly looked back to the smaller colt next to the older, grey colt. She giggled. “What’s your name?”

“Glacier Wind,” the little colt responded. He then pointed to his brother and followed suit with, “and this is Amethyst Pen. He’s my brother.” Thereafter, the colt placed his hoof upon the dirt path once more, and nodded his head a little in the filly’s general direction. “What’s your name?”

“My name?” the filly responded first. “My name is Ice Stream.”

5…

Glacier and Amethyst arrived at the vendor they were heading to at the back of the many vendors in the town market today. It seemed that there were more than usual there. Glacier didn’t really take account of this, however. Neither did Amethyst. That stallion hadn’t even been in Ponyville for six years now, anything could be different to him really. The only thing that didn’t really change all this time was Glacier’s home.

The sign read: ‘A Golden Harvest’. And as they approached the moderately-sized stall, an earth pony mare with a bright, yellow-hued coat could be seen to be stationed there, finishing up serving a couple of earth pony stallions. Glacier knew this mare, even without acknowledging the sing carrot cutiemark she bore. She was typically at the back of the pack when it came to the vendors here on the thoroughfare, though Glacier always made sure to pay her a visit at least once a week to keep his supply of carrots topped off. You never know when you may need to make a carrot cake, or fry some carrots to feed now three mouths instead of two.

Tossing her curly, orange mane out of her eyes, the mare looked to Glacier and his brother now. “Geez, if it isn’t Glacier again. How you doing today Hun?”

“I’m doing well, Mrs. Harvest,” Glacier responded with a smile. He placed his forelegs up onto the countertop made of several small, wooden planks, and leaned across it as he continued to talk to the mare. “How has the husband been lately? He helping a bit with the farming now that he’s retired?”

“Oh, yes,” the mare giggled back in a rather soft voice. It came off like the breeze running across a field of daffodils. “He’s happy to be out of the factory now. Though he does seem a tad bit bored without the hustle of the Rainbow Factory, but what can you do.”

“I’m sure you’re happy to have him around more.”

“Oh, of course dearie.” She cocked an eyebrow and looked to Amethyst. “And is that Amethyst there? Little colt, it’s been forever, dear.”

Amethyst stepped forwards, next to his brother once more. “It’s good to see you, too, Goldie,” Amethyst chuckled. He blushed a little after, a little lost for words seeing as he hasn’t really seen this mare in years, and whom he wasn’t all that close to. Glacier was far more close to this mare than he had ever been. “How are you?”

“Oh, just peachy, eh?” Golden Harvest giggled again. “Glacier usually comes by every week to say hi and buy a nice buddle of carrots from me.” She tilted her head to the side and cocked her brow once more. “Though…he has already bought his load for the week. So, what do I own the pleasure for this visit, sweeties? Coming by just to say hello, are we?”

“Actually,” Glacier rolled his hoof on the vendor table, it click-it-y clacking as he did so, “we are here because I need some more carrots for the dinner I had planned for tonight. Amethyst will be staying with me for the next little bit and I want to make absolutely sure that there is enough food to go around.”

“Well that’s just perfect!” Mrs. Harvest proclaimed as she threw a bundle of carrots up onto the counter in front of Glacier’s fetlocks. “Turns out I have just that here.” She chuckled as she looked to the slightly unimpressed face Amethyst was making. Glacier, however, was beaming.

Amethyst nudged his brother, whispering in his ear as discreetly as he could with the mare standing right in front of them. “Alright, we got the carrots. Can we get out of here now? This is so awkward for me.”

Shoving his brother back, Glacier chortled nervously to the mare. “Excellent,” he said next, taking some bits out of his saddlebag with his wing. He placed the appropriate amount onto the counter and grabbed the bundle in his teeth before throwing it back over his withers, it landing in the opposite pouch his money. “Well it was fun talking, Mrs. Harvest. I’ll stay longer next week, promise.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Glacier dearie.” She waved a hoof in the brothers’ direction. “You don’t have to go out of your way for an old mare like me.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Harvest,” Glacier said with a wavy smile as he turned to trot back home. “I’ll be back! Same time next week!” He and Amethyst then proceeded to trot off into the distance, the sun just starting to set over the horizon.

“That stallion is too silly,” Golden Harvest said with the shake of her head. “He’s gonna make somepony laugh a lot someday.”

6…

Glacier and Amethyst arrived back at his abode around the time the sun had made it about halfway past the horizon line. The chirping of the birds and the warm breeze from earlier had all ceased, replaced now by a silence of the birds and the slight whistle of a now cool breeze. The two stallions walked up the small stoop and stood before Glacier’s door before the stallion in question pulled his key from his saddlebags, unlocked the door, and opened it.

Walking into his home, Glacier removed his saddlebag and threw it over the coatrack behind the door; Amethyst walked over to the couch and plopped down on it lazily. He groaned as he sunk into the cushions, draping his head over the backrest of the seat as he did so. He smiled in content. Seeing this, Glacier walked over to his brother, looming over his head. He smiled as well.

Sighing a little, Glacier mused to his brother in a low tone: “The night is far from over. You know that, right?”

To which his brother looked up to him with half-lidded eyes. “I know. Just, after such an awkward meet-up with Goldie, I really need to sit for a second. I don’t do well with seeing ponies after not seeing them for such a long time.”

“Don’t worry, I understand completely.” Glacier giggled lightly to himself and rounded about the sofa. He sat down next to his brother, draping his head over the backrest as well. The smile remained the same—unmoving.

Both brothers sat like that for a while, before Amethyst broke the silence. “So…why don’t you tell me a little bit more about this colt-friend of yours I’m going to be meeting tonight? Does he know I’m here right now?”

“Yeah, I called him up yesterday and let him know that you were gonna be here.” Glacier looked over to his brother, his head still laid back against the backrest. To his surprise Amethyst was already looking at him. He blushed a little. “He’s actually really excited to meet you, Amethyst. So I guess this all worked out in the end anyways. Saves traveling to Caneighda to have him meet you and everyone else.” Amethyst’s smile skewed slightly. “Dad still isn’t over this, is he?”

“Nope. And because I have never mentioned Snow around him nor mum, he still talks to me like old times.”

Glacier sat up and spun in his seat to look Amethyst down properly now. “Mom and dad still don’t know about you and Snow being a thing?” He sounded a little confused. Glacier’s brother and his father had always had a better relation with each other, even before Glacier had come clean to him about his sexuality. However, Glacier was sure that his brother had told his father about himself and had brought Snow around to see them.

In fact, Glacier was wrong.

“That would be correct, good buddy.” Amethyst then ignited his horn in the same hue of amethyst which coloured a near matching streak to Glacier’s own purple one in his mane; he ruffled his brother’s mane with an exasperated sigh. “I never told them anything, and I’m perfectly happy that way.”

Glacier furrowed his brow and poked his brother’s chest next, sneering slightly in his tone that followed. “You’re telling me that I, your Celestia-be-damned brother, is to be hated by our father, but you get to be all so fucking happy in your little life with Snow! And go on, uncaring, just like you seem to be doing now! This is serious business, you ass-hat! Not something that can be taken lightly, at all!”

Amethyst recoiled back at his brother’s assault, is ears splaying back against his cranium as he did so. His expression fell, and his muzzle turned to a frown. His eyes looked to glaze over a little with what could only be tears. “I-I know that i-it’s s-serious, Glacier,” he stuttered out. He reverted, falling further into his seat as Glacier grew over him. “I’m sorry.”

“That is a load of gryphon shit and you know it!” Glacier threw his forelegs in the air, all before poking at his brother again. “Do you know what it was like, Amethyst? What it was like when dad nearly beat me to death when I told him about me and Calm Breeze? What it was like when he said ‘No son of mine is going to be a disgusting, sissy-bitch colt-cuddler’?! Oh, that’s right!—” Glacier poked his brother’s chest again, harder and in a far more demeaning manner than before. He was practically fuming now, tears of his own starting to stream from the corner of his eyes as the adrenaline began to build and flow at an overwhelming and alarming rate. “You don’t even know half of how bad it was for me. You do not know how hard it is to get kicked out by your father just before you turn seventeen, and have to crawl back to the mare who you just came clean to two weeks previously. Have to beg her and her parents to let you stay with them until you can find a job and earn some money to rent your own place!” Glacier jumped off of the couch and looked his brother down, a fire and ferocity behind his words. “Celestia-fucking-dammit!”

Amethyst was frozen, completely unmoving now. He looked to be in shell-shock, if his eyes were anything to go off of. They were completely wide, pupils dilated as if he was having some sort of earthshattering flashback to a particularly unpleasant time. It was of the time that Glacier had come clean to his father in his study. But before the stallion could truly reminisce on more horrid times, he was pulled from his reverie.

“Equestria to Amethyst!” Glacier screamed at him. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“I…” Amethyst couldn’t speak, his words caught in his throat as if he had momentarily gone mute. His mouth continued to move in little motions as if he were attempting to continue to communicate, but nothing came out at all.

“Speak, Amethyst!”

“I…” The stallion took a moment to think about what he was truly going to say before he said it now. “I… I don’t k-know what it’s like—never will… Hopefully. But, I do know what you went through. I was there. D-don’t you remember, Glacier?”

It was Glacier’s turn to freeze. He looked just like Amethyst had just moments prior. He looked as if he was going to tremble and shake, like the last leaf on a maple in autumn.

And then he did.

It came in a flurry. He shook as if he had succumbed to hyperthermia, and had the eyes of a White Tail Woods deer whom had just been startled. Glacier hadn’t thought about that day in detail in such a long time, but it was all coming back to him now. All coming back to him like a flood of endorphins to the brain. However, Glacier never wanted to relive this memory ever again. It had taken him years to cover it up and finally forgive his father for what had happened. Of course he never really forgave him, he just dealt with his father’s existence now.

“Glacier!” Amethyst screamed, jumping up from the couch. The tears stopped, as Amethyst was far more worried about his brother than anything he had said. And if Amethyst were being honest with himself, he would agree with Glacier to some degree. He should have been there far more for his little brother, helping defend him from their father; helping him when he was down and out, but he never did. Amethyst sat idly by and watched what his father had done to his brother. And he has yet to forgive himself self nor forget what he had done…but he was afraid. Afraid of their dad and what he would have done to him—done to their family—if he knew both of his children shared an attraction for the same sex.

Furthering his attempt to pull his brother back from the brink he had slowly begun his decent into, Amethyst grabbed hold of his brother’s withers and looked him in the eyes as he spoke. They looked absent, almost dead in presence. But Amethyst knew that his brother was still in there, in the back of his mind somewhere, lost in the darkness of that day. Lost in the darkness of the beating he once withstood. And he had to get him back.

“Glacier!” Amethyst began once more. He smacked his brother on the cheek and looked him in the eyes to see if his brother had come back to him.

It did nothing.

“Glacier, are you there?!”

Amethyst was about to hit his brother again until the doorbell rang. He froze, and Glacier was pulled from his stupor almost immediately. He shook slightly still, this time for a different reason and looked back, deep into his brother’s eyes.

“T-that’s Turn-Style now. Dang it!” The stallion then pleaded in his brother that they keep their little fight in the past and that they move forward in an attempt to enjoy the rest of the night. And so that Amethyst may sit down with his colt-friend more appropriately instead of canceling plans and disappearing for a little while.

“You w-want me to answer it…or?” Amethyst asked, confusedly.

“N-no, I got it. Just act normal. Smile wide and pretend that none of this ever happened. I don’t want Style to have a bad idea of our relationship over something like that. I don’t want to weird him out.”

“Don’t worry. I got you, little bro. Trust me.”

Glacier turned to walk over to the front door. He padded over to it slowly, the sound of his hooves dragging on the carpet only growing louder until they hit the hardwood flooring by the door. And as he stepped up to the doorway finally, he took a deep breath and exhaled through his snout. It calmed him when he did this, and he could feel the memory fading away once again, as if it was never there to begin with. It also alleviated the stress caused from the screaming he had done.

Placing a wing around the lever door handle, Glacier flicked it down quickly. The door sprung inward as it opened and the stallion stepped back. Standing there, just outside the doorway, was Style, just as bright and smiley as ever. His smile could really brighten up the room it was so dang cute. It lifted Glacier’s spirits the rest of the way and he smiled a hearty and genuine smile.

“Hey Style! Please, come inside.”